Many many thanks to everyone, both students and those who support them, who made the demonstration on Saturday and Sunday at Houston Japan Festival possible. It would not have happened as well as it did without everyone’s help. There is a photo attached to this post of everyone who demonstrated.
The weather was phenomenal this year. For those who have never been to Houston Japan Festival, this is a purely outdoor event held annually next to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park in downtown Houston, so the weather plays a pivotal role. Usually Japan Festival is a sweat fest. This was the first year ever that I did not break a sweat during the entire event, even during the demonstrations. It was actually cold in the morning when we demonstrated, making the warmth of a winter weight haori and wool hakama feel very cosy.
There were more than a few vendors selling vintage Japanese clothing. The large booth that debuted last year was back selling lots of kimono and yukata. This event has become a great place to look for obi, koshihimo, juban, kimono, yukata and haori.
The JAXA booth was displaying a poster of Nemo since he’s currently on ISS until June. I tried to get an extra copy of the print, but no joy. So I took a photo which is attached.
The Japanese Garden in Hermann Park was recently enlarged so I strolled through it, enjoying the relatively quiet and spacious grounds. I highly recommend it when the hustle and bustle of the rest of the festival starts to wear at one. If interested in lotuses, there’s a variety grown there that is descended from very old seeds (~2000 years according to the sign) discovered at an archaeological dig in Chiba Prefecture. 
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